A influência das instituições formais na internacionalização de empresas : um estudo de caso nas vinícolas da Serra Gaúcha

Abstract

The internationalization of companies provides business opportunities and challenges before a global context. In this setting, institutions are relevant in elaborating either a fragile or a robust institutional arrangement, mainly in emerging markets, while providing sources of competitiveness to the companies that are part of this organizational field. These premises are found in the wine industry of the Serra Gaúcha region, Southern Brazil, which is characterized by the importance of formal institutions in promoting the internationalization of the Brazilian wine. Thus, this study aims to analyze how formal institutions influence the process of internationalization of Serra Gaúcha Region Wineries. The research was developed using a case study with semi-structured interviews with 21 institutions, using content analysis to analyze the data. Among the several institutions cited as being active in the internationalization of the wine industry, the following stand out: the Instituto Brasileiro do Vinho (Ibravin), the Agência Brasileira de Promoção de Exportações e Investimentos (Apex-Brasil), and the Integrated Sectorial Project called Wines of Brasil. Positive influences by these three institutions in relation to the internationalization das Serra Gaúcha Region Wineries were detected. Ibravin acts as an institutional leader of the sector, by organizing and coordinating the wine industry; Apex-Brasil works, primarily, as an agent for funds raising and investment, but also performs research and tech nical studies on international business. Wines of Brasil is responsible for promoting the image of the Brazilian wine in the international market, carrying out positioning and training actions for the companies participating in this project. However, its positive influence was limited due to the favoritism given to wineries with more representativeness in the sector.